Work Without Shazier
As we all saw, Ryan Shazier left the field Monday night with a back injury that left us all feeling a little sick. Shazier is young still and has proven to be a Pro Bowl level force in the middle of the field and his intensity and talent has won over Steeler Nation. We’re all wishing him a speedy recovery but the Steelers need to learn to work without him in the short term.
Shazier has missed games before, but that’s when Lawrence Timmons was around. With Shazier injured and Timmons gone, the Steelers don’t have a super fast inside linebacker. Unfortunately, that’s what their defense is built around. The Cover-2 works best with a fast, athletic type linebacker to cover all that space in the middle.
We all know Vince Williams can hit. We’ve seen Matekavich is a scrapper. But when a running back delays and then tries to run a pattern or when a wideout shoots across the field are they going to be able to cover him? They have to, because the safeties need to be deep for Joe “Close Your Eyes and Throw It As Hard As You Can” Flacco and his speedy wideout. Keith Butler has to adjust.
Next: Shazier Recovering Following Frightening Injury
So that’s how the Steelers get a rare sweep over the Ravens and their 8th win. See you Sunday.